Sugar Apple Fairytale - Volume 5 - Chapter 5.2

Suddenly, she realized what Challe was up to. Anne looked up at him, and he glanced back at her and nodded slightly.

That’s it!

“Kat!” Anne exclaimed. “Do you really hate Hugh’s request that much?”

“Does this look like the face of a happy man?!”

“Supposing I was able to get Hugh to cancel his request, in return, could I ask you to assist the Paige Workshop?”

“Cancel the request?”

“Yes. If Hugh has the right to ask you to do anything he wants, then I will take over that right from him. So in place of what he asked for, Kat, I want you to help the Paige Workshop.”

Kat put on a complicated expression and stroked his chin several times. His fingers were long and slim—he had the hands of an incredibly skilled candy crafter, and the Paige Workshop needed them.

“If the sugar candy order that you’ve already accepted is for after the New Year, then you should have the time to finish it even after helping us. Please, Kat. The sugar candy sculptures for the First Holy Festival aren’t just for His Majesty the King or the state church. They’re made to bring a year of happiness to all the people living in the Kingdom of Highland. If we make good candy sculptures and bring fortune to Highland, then maybe next year, we won’t have a poor harvest of sugar apples like we did this year.”

“…That does sound better than doing that dim-witted bastard’s bidding,” Kat grumbled. “Next year, I really need to get my hands on some quality silver sugar. If we have a bad harvest again, I’ll be in trouble, too.”

“So then, Kat. Will you help us?!”

“I’m in.”

At his words, Anne’s eyes lit up.

“But I don’t think that dim-witted bastard is just gonna hand over his prize because you asked.”

“I’m well aware of that. I’ll negotiate. And without fail, I’ll get you to come with me.”

Kat crossed his arms and nodded. “Fine. Once you do that, send me a letter or somethin’. If you get the right to tell me what to do from Hugh, I’ll come work for you instead.”

“Thank you so much, Kat! I’ll make sure I’m able to send you that letter!”

Anne gave a spirited bow and turned to leave. Just as she started to walk off, Kat called out to stop her, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

“Oh yeah. Hey, shrimp?”

“Yes?”

When Anne turned around, she saw that Kat was frowning a little.

“You said you guys are near Lewiston, right? You seen that guy Jonas at all?”

“Huh? No. What’s going on with Jonas? Did you find out where he is?”

“No, but someone told me he saw a guy who looked like Jonas hangin’ around the busy streets near the castle walls of Lewiston. So you know, I thought you guys might’ve seen ’im.”

“Oh, really…?”

Jonas’s whereabouts were one of Anne’s many concerns. If he was in Lewiston, she needed to find him and let him know that the false accusations against him had been cleared up.

“Hey, don’t think about doin’ anythin’ stupid.” Kat’s sharp, catlike eyes glared pointedly at Anne. “You’re the head candy crafter of the Paige Workshop, aren’cha? Don’t waste time you don’t have worryin’ about a jerk like Jonas.”

Anne felt embarrassed that even her briefest thoughts were so transparent.

“It did cross my mind, but I won’t do that. I’m the head candy crafter, after all.”

Anne bowed again and headed out.

After they left Kat’s shop, Anne and Challe immediately set their horse galloping toward Lewiston.

As they bounced violently up and down, Anne turned in the saddle and looked back at Challe. Challe, who was gazing straight ahead as he drove the horse, noticed her staring and glanced down at her.

“Thank you,” Anne said. Because of the noise of the horse’s hooves and heavy breathing and the wind whistling in her ears, she had to speak loudly. “Thank you for reminding me about Hugh’s demand!”

“I did it because you two fools weren’t getting anywhere by yourselves.”

Challe was rude as always, but Anne was happy that he seemed to be trying to help her and the Paige Workshop with their job.

By the time they arrived at Hollyleaf Castle, it was already quite dark.

After climbing the hilly road and approaching the courtyard, they could see the building come into view. On the first and second floors of the east wing, the flames of lamps still flickered. And there was a trail of smoke rising from the chimney in the roof of the east wing. The candy crafters were still hard at work.

After tying up their horse in the stable, Anne and Challe passed under the triple-arched eaves and entered the castle.

The air in the hall was a little warmer than outside. Anne breathed a sigh of relief.

“Kat’s not with you, is he?”

The voice came from the lesser hall on the second floor. When Anne looked up, she saw Hugh leaning over the brass handrail, looking down at them. Beside him, naturally, was Salim.

“Hugh? What’s the matter?”

Anne dashed up the stairs. Challe climbed up after her at a more leisurely pace.

“I was sent by the state church to observe you, and this is what I find! I come to check on the progress of your work, but the head candy crafter is absent. And when I ask Collins about it, he says that you went to see Kat. I told him I would wait. There’s something I need to get Kat to hurry up and do for me.”

Anne stood in front of Hugh, catching her breath.

“Would that ‘something’ be the wager you made with him?” she said, panting. “The one about Kat doing whatever you say?”

“Yes, so?”

“In that case, this is perfect. Hugh, I have a favor to ask. Your right to have Kat do whatever you say—I want you to transfer it to me.”

A mysterious look came over Hugh, but he seemed to understand immediately. The corners of his lips curled upward.

“I see. So Kat rejected your request for help. That seems like something he would do. I assume he said he would help you only if you managed to seize that right from me?”

“Exactly. Hugh, please. Transfer it to me.”

“You of all people ought to understand. Kat won’t make the smallest sliver of sugar candy unless he’s happy with the job. Even if I, the Silver Sugar Viscount, threaten or cajole him, he won’t make anything that he doesn’t find appealing. The right to control a guy like that to my complete satisfaction is extremely attractive. I’m not inclined to give it away.”

Hugh recognized Kat’s skills. He probably had something in mind that he wanted Kat’s talents for. But Anne and the rest of the Paige Workshop were in the same boat. She couldn’t back down.

“You won’t do it, no matter what?”

“No way. I can’t indulge you this time. If you want it, you’ll have to wrench it away from me.”

Hugh was smiling provocatively. Anne balled her hands into tight fists and looked him directly in the eye.

“All right, I will.”

“Oh?” Hugh’s eyes took on a fierce glint. “Do you intend to challenge me?” he asked her directly.

The question sent a chill up Anne’s spine.

Hugh was a kind person, someone she could rely on. But he was also the Silver Sugar Viscount. He had power, and his skills as a Silver Sugar Master were unrivaled. It was reckless to challenge such a man. That recklessness felt almost like fear, chilling Anne’s fists.

“The novice Silver Sugar Master wants to compete against me? And the stakes are the right to control Kat. Fine, I accept. It would be a disgrace for me to turn my back on a formal challenge. The Silver Sugar Viscount is prohibited from making sugar candy for anyone other than His Majesty the King, but things are different if someone challenges me. If it’s for the sake of a competition or for the purpose of honing my skills, I am allowed.”

Anne recalled a piece of sugar candy that she had seen in Silver Westol Castle, one that Hugh had made. It was a candy statue of a mythical beast leaping ferociously through breaking waves. She remembered that when she’d seen it, she had felt like the candies she made were trinkets for children, sculpted using cheap tricks.

There’s no way I can win in a competition against Hugh!

Anne’s palms were sweaty.

Just then, they heard something. It was the rumbling noise of someone grinding material in a mill. All four mills were going. From time to time, there was a high-pitched crunching sound as solid chunks of silver sugar were broken into more manageable pieces.

The candy crafters were continuing their work without a moment’s rest.

If they didn’t finish their sugar candy sculptures in time for the First Holy Festival, the Paige Workshop would cease to exist. All of them understood that.

They also knew that they probably wouldn’t make it. But they were convincing themselves that it could be done and were continuing the work. While suppressing their feelings of anxiety and impatience, they were still doing their jobs.

Challe stood behind Anne, and his hand gently patted her stiff shoulder. He was telling her not to be afraid.

Not a single one of them is running away. So I can’t, either.

She took a breath. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, then she spoke.

“A contest, then.”

At these words, Salim, who had been standing at the ready behind Hugh, mumbled, “Of all the foolhardy…,” with a rather surprised expression.

Hugh grinned. “I accept, Anne Halford.”

“What will we compete at?”

“It’s a match between two candy crafters. It can only be a sugar candy competition.”

Hugh put his hand on his chin for a minute like he was thinking things over. But soon, his gaze turned toward the corridor leading into the west wing of the castle.

“That fairy. There was a fairy living in Hollyleaf Castle, right? You said you caught him, but he wouldn’t eat anything, and that he was very weak.”

“You mean Noah?”

“Let’s get him to judge. It won’t matter to him who wins or loses, and fairies have a better eye than humans when it comes to sugar candies. They’re instinctively drawn to beautiful pieces of candy. We’ll make candy sculptures for him. Whichever one he wants to eat will determine the winner. How about it? If neither of us can get him to eat, it’s a draw. But in the event of a draw, I won’t give you my rights to Kat.”

“Understood.”

There was no point in getting hung up over the details of the competition. It didn’t change the fact that Anne’s skills were no match for Hugh’s. But she wouldn’t be able to show her face in front of her hardworking colleagues if she raised the white flag before the contest even started. So there was nothing to do but take on the challenge.

“Time is precious, I’m sure,” Hugh said. “We can’t be slow about this. We’ll have all of tomorrow—that’s it. The following morning, both of us will show our finished works to the fairy. Agreed?”

“Fine by me,” Anne replied.

“This’ll be fun, Anne,” Hugh said with a smile. He looked delighted.